Kansas came back from a late deficit and Mario Chalmers hit a three-pointer to force overtime where the Jayhawks prevailed for a 75-68 victory over Memphis to capture the third NCAA championship in school history. It was Kansas's first NCAA crown since Danny Manning's title run in 1988. Chalmers was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
65-Team Field
The NCAA continued its 65-team system with a play-in game between the 64th and 65th teams for the eighth consecutive year. Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament to become the first 20-loss school ever to enter the NCAA tourney. The tournament ran from March 18 to April 7 with the Final Four being played at the Aladome in San Antonio, Texas.
Kansas No. 1 Seed In Midwest
Bill Self's Kansas was seed No. 1 in the Midwest region. The Jayhawks eased through the early stages of the tournament, beating Portland State 85-61 in the first round; UNLV 75-56 in the second round; and Villanova 72-57 in the Sweet Sixteen. In the Elite Eight, Kansas slowed Davidson's Stephen Curry just enough to grab a 59-57 victory over the up-start No. 10 seed Wildcats, who had won 25 straight games. It was Self's first regional final victory.
Few Upsets
Davidson's run to the Elite Eight was the best Cinderella story of the tournament and just one of the upset teams in the Midwest regional. Joining Davidson with first round wins were No. 11 seed Kansas State (over USC), 12 seed Villanova (Clemson) and 13 seed Siena (Vanderbilt). Villanova beat Siena and then were beat by Kansas while Davidson knocked off No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round and No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen.
In the West regional, No. 12 seed Western Kentucky (over Drake) and 13 seed San Diego (Connecticut) sprang surprises in the first round. In the second round, 7 seed West Virginia knocked off Duke while Western Kentucky beat San Diego but lost to UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen.
All Four No. 1 Seeds In Final
The 2008 tournament was the first time since seeding began in 1979 that all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. Kansas advanced from the Midwest for its 13th Final Four. Top-ranked North Carolina reached its 17th semifinal from the East region. UCLA went through the West to make its 18th Final Four and third straight. And Memphis used the South region to advance to its third Final Four and first since 1985.
Kansas Overcome North Carolina, Memphis Advance
In the national semifinals, Kansas and North Carolina played one of the most intriguing games in NCAA Tournament history. The Jayhawks jumped to 40-12 lead after 15 minutes. North Carolina cut the margin to 17 at halftime and opened the second half with a 23-10 run to get within four points with 11 minutes to play. But Kansas would eventually close the game on a 20-7 run for an 84-66 victory with Brandon Rush leading the way with 25 points. Memphis collected an NCAA record 38th victory by handling UCLA 78-63 as Chris Douglas-Roberts (28 points) and Derrick Rose (25) combined for 53 points for Memphis. UCLA lost its third straight Final Four game.
Kansas Cuts Down The Nets
In the final, Kansas needed a miracle comeback and a miracle shot to get to overtime. And in the extra session, the Jayhawks were too much in pulling out a 75-68 win. The first half went back-and-forth with Kansas up 33-28 at the break. Memphis hit the first five points of the second half and tehn used a 10-0 run for a seven-point lead with five minutes left. The lead was nine points with 2:12 left in regulation. Kansas fouled the Tigers and Douglas-Roberts and Rose missed four of five free throws in the final 1:15 and the Jayhawks made all six of their shots in the final two minutes (two two-pointers, two three-pointers and two free throws). The final shot was Mario Chalmers' three-point basket from the top of the key with 2.1 seconds to play to knot it at 63 and force overtime. Kansas scored the first six points of the extra session and made 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 4 from the foul line in overtime to clinch the title.
